Microsoft\Boot \EFI\Microsoft\Boot

Microsoft\Boot folder of the ESP: the bootmgfw.efi boot manager, the BCD store, fonts and language resources used by Windows UEFI startup.

Updated on 12 November 2026 By AltF4 Formation

What it’s for

UEFI firmware starts bootmgfw.efi from this folder, and the boot manager reads the BCD store here to decide which Windows to load. The whole early UEFI boot happens in this folder, before winload.efi is called from C:\Windows\System32.

What it contains

bootmgfw.efi, the Windows Boot Manager, and BCD, the boot configuration store (with its BCD.LOG* transaction files).
Fonts (Fonts) and resources (Resources) for the boot menu, plus per-language folders such as en-US.
Depending on the version, other EFI modules such as memtest.efi (memory diagnostics).

These files are copied from C:\Windows\Boot\EFI by bcdboot, which can therefore recreate them.

Risks and best practices

To repair, do not copy files by hand: bcdboot C:\Windows /s S: /f UEFI /l en-us rebuilds the folder and a fresh BCD. The /l option sets the menu language.
bootrec /fixboot often answers “Access is denied” on a UEFI system; use bcdboot instead.
Back up the BCD before changing it with bcdedit /export.

Useful commands

:: As administrator: mount the ESP and list the folder
mountvol S: /S
dir S:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot

:: Rebuild the boot files from the running Windows
bcdboot C:\Windows /s S: /f UEFI /l en-us

Folder contents

Files 2

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